What's the key to surviving a race as close as this one was?
At the Open Road Films post-Oscars soiree Sunday night, everyone was asking the same question: “How did ‘Spotlight’ do it?” Given that the year’s big winner remained a mystery all the way up until Morgan Freeman’s casual pronouncement at the end of the 3½-hour ceremony — putting a bow on one of the tightest Oscar races in recent memory — it was a fair query following a season that never conformed to parameters.
The three major industry guilds split three different ways for top honors, a first in more than a decade. And with “Spotlight’s” only other victory on the night coming for original screenplay, the film became the first best picture winner since 1952’s “The Greatest Show on Earth” to win just one other Oscar. It was the first year since the preferential ballot was instituted by the Producers Guild and the Academy that their results didn’t match. It was the first year in 65 that a filmmaker won back-to-back director Oscars.
But to return to “Spotlight’s” blueprint for success — with reasons being floated around Palihouse in West Hollywood late into the night — vested interests naturally had the most positive of spins: “Anyone who’s ever been disenfranchised could relate to it,” one exec said. “It was the film everyone loved,” a publicist offered.
There are other interesting (possible) explanations, such as the way voting for films like “Ex Machina” and “Sicario” may have affected the PGA ballot, and how their absence in turn impacted the Oscar ballot; films eliminated in the first two or three rounds begin to influence the race significantly as No. 2 votes on those ballots are redispersed.
There is also the apparent need to start the Oscar journey early, leaving enough road to negotiate the twists and turns of the season. It was fitting that actress winner Brie Larson thanked the Telluride and Toronto film festivals in her speech, as the early fall festival circuit remains fertile ground for planting the seeds of a successful campaign. “Spotlight” — like “Birdman” and “Gravity” — began with a world premiere in Venice followed by a North American bow in Telluride. Best picture winners “12 Years a Slave,” “Argo,” “The Artist,” “The King’s Speech” and “Slumdog Millionaire” also played Telluride, four of them unspooling there for the first time.
Like “The Revenant,” “The Big Short” may have been hamstrung in part by its release date; no film since “Million Dollar Baby” opened in December and won best picture. But while this season’s late arrivals had their moments, “Spotlight” had time to correct its course.
Additionally, as a number of contenders made their best pitches for relevance during phase two, “Spotlight’s” bona fides felt baked into the film. Op-eds from abuse survivors, screenings at the Vatican — it all felt of a piece, organic.
Conversely, while “The Big Short’s” subject matter still resonates (in his adapted screenplay acceptance speech, writer-director Adam McKay called on voters to support leaders who aren’t in the pockets of Wall Street banks, underscoring the film’s immediacy), it may have been hampered by its own unique ethos: It was a scrappy tale of people who got rich on the housing crisis … but at least felt bad about it. And when Paramount’s campaign switched gears to sincerity, promoting a TV spot that called on voters to “make a difference,” it felt like an undercutting of the film’s irreverent satirical identity. It felt like a costume.
Ultimately, the publicist’s response at Palihouse — as simple and self-serving as it was — might be the purest truth. The goal of this balloting system is to achieve the most generally agreeable winner. You can find as many “Revenant” fans as haters, but who can really argue with “Spotlight?”
It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine’s Day honors.
In years to come people won’t BELIEVE that it beat out a masterpiece like The Revenant.
A “masterpiece” in your opinion. In mine, and many others’, it’s a bloated, overlong, over-budget, over-everything navel-gazer made by self-indulgent “artists” that was the cinematic equivalent of a root canal. SPOTLIGHT was an impeccable film with a riveting story and superb performances that send you out of the theatre with plenty to chew on and the glow you get when the good guys win. REVENANT will, in future years, be regarded much the same way as AVATAR is now: a pretty package with nothing inside but a tired story told before, only better (and shorter).
I wouldn’t! That’s the damn point! I’d take that $135 million and make eight or nine movies like SPOTLIGHT, THE BIG SHORT, TRUMBO, SICARIO and A WALK IN THE WOODS.
And “on budget and on time?” You’re living in a fantasy world. It was budgeted for $60 million, meaning the cost more than doubled, and the shoot took ten months, also more than twice the original schedule. Had this movie flopped, an awful lot of people would have lost a crapload of money; as it is, no one’s gonna get rich. No way to run a railroad, as the old saying goes.
then you go make a better movie in -30 freezing temperatures, drive 3 hours to the set and 3 hours back including working 18 hour days for four months straight on budget and on time u dick!
Agreed. Of all the films nominated for Best Picture, and some that weren’t like “Sicario,” I thought “Spotlight” was the least impressive. (I much prefer Tom McCarthy’s earlier film “The Station Agent.”) I hope they get rid of the preferential ballot so whichever film Academy voters are the most passionate about actually wins.
Reaction to “The Revenant” not winning is either “oh, thank God” or “worst upset since ‘Crash'”, from what I’ve seen.
Which may explain why it didn’t do so good on the ranked ballot system.
Yes!
I think I have written this before. That either Spotlight or Mad Max Fury Road would win Best Picture.
So called experts or analysts may dig their brains, using any data or statistic, but they forgot Academy Awards voters are like other people who love great films. And the preferential ballot give benefits to Spotlight.
Academy Awards may make mistakes by awarding Best Picture to wrong films before (Crash, that f***ing Shakespeare in Love) or still make mistake now by awarding Leonnardo DiCaprio and Innaritu, because they ate the shit about ” film that’s so hard to make” hyperbole from Revenant ( I wanna ask you, what films that were made in a pleasant environment or circumstances during the process of filmmaking? WHAT??)
But it’s easy to see that Spotlight is the film that could easily make people fall in love. But, there are some reactions from filmmakers who questioned the Spotlight’s victory on Twitter ( whaat? Spotlight??? They tweeted like that).
I can clearly see Mr.Tapley as the big fans of Big Short. He keeps on subtley praised that Big Short in his article. Even in this article by saying Big Short is ” resonance whatsoever” .
U can question many moviegoers or filmmakers, how many of them really think Big Short as good film? I can guarantee you only a few.
Most of them will say Big Short is a pretentious, acted like smart-ass movies, and a “follower” of Wolf of Wall Street.
Most filmmakers and moviegoers do not understand what Big Shorts is really about. It may have smart script, but not a good execution on big screen.
So, that’s why Spotlight ( and Mad Max Fury Road) are the most worthy best picture contender. I had a feeling about this since the first time Academy announced the nominees.
I did aware about statistic probabilities, especially when it came to BEST actor and best director win. Even I still think Fassbender and George Miller should’ve won.
But, my feeling was always for Spotlight and Mad Max. Two films that everybody will agree as Great Films in many many years to come.
And I was right. The only prediction I failed this year is Mark Rylance’s victory. But I’m glad he won. He deserves it.
“Even in this article by saying Big Short is ‘resonance whatsoever’.”
Leaving aside the fact that you’re quoting words that aren’t in the article, what does “The Big Short is resonance whatsoever” even mean?
I actually wasn’t a big fan of “The Big Short.” The only best picture nominee I liked less was “The Revenant”:
It also wasn’t anywhere near my top 10, while “Spotlight” was at #5:
http://variety.com/2015/film/in-contention/2015-movie-superlatives-1201667834/
Oh, and I was pretty excited that, in my view, the best of the three top contenders for best picture won:
I didn’t really praise “The Big Short” in this article, either. I did say the campaign undercut its own cheeky identity in the end, but that’s hardly a value judgment. It’s just an objective note on the season.
Since you bring it up, by the way, members of the PGA were obviously filmmakers “questioned” about “The Big Short.” They apparently liked it enough to give it their prize for best of the year.
I don’t actually disagree with your assessment of the film, in the final analysis. But I’m always happy when it’s so easy to refute dubious points made by a commenter reading too much into a column because he/she has such blinding personal bias. Thanks for that!
What’s clear is that the Academy mostly made the right choice(s), which is especially gratifying after such a screwy season. I predicted “Spotlight” myself because I couldn’t imagine a film of such graceful humility, craft, and precision that stood up for real human values losing to a film as hollow and overblown, not to mention as politically dubious, as “The Revenant.” The decision should restore many an Oscar skeptic’s faith in the Academy, which proved in a year largely dominated by the fear- and hate-mongering rhetoric of certain tyrannical presidential candidates that egalitarianism and humanity win over violent, indulgent tributes to white heroism.
Spotlight was at best a by-the-numbers net work movie of the week. Ray Donovan covered the same territory with much more dramatic style, quality WRITING and entertainment value. #baffled
i disagree, robbie.
“spotlight” was a very strong film, considering script, acting and directing. personally, i’ve not met anyone who hasn’t loved it. for me, the question isn’t “how did ‘spotlight’ squeak in”; the question is, “why wasn’t ‘spotlight’ the obvious and clear choice”? i’m afraid the answer to that question has more to do with oscar campaigns, money, and something closer to why certain politicians become the favorites for people who haven’t been listening to them very carefully.
I found some filmmakers who tweeted “what? Spotlight? , when they announced it as Best picture winner.
I quickly un-followed them. Because anyone who claim themselves as filmmakers or working in film industry, but don’t like Spotlight or can’t see it’s greatness, should quit their jobs.
Not everyone loved it. Spotlight was a weak film in a very weak year, and will go down in history as one of the weakest films ever to win Best Picture, likely even rivaling Crash.